Let’s Welcome the Newest Contestant in the AFA Blame Game: Renee Foss

Let’s Welcome the Newest Contestant in the AFA Blame Game: Renee Foss

AFA staffers and bureaucrats have a long-held tradition of blaming the very members they represent (and want to represent) for the failures of the union. When AFA lost the campaign to organize the 47 flight attendants at Compass Airlines, they blamed the Compass flight attendants. Throughout our struggle against NWA management for a livable contract, MEC members have derided and blamed the Northwest flight attendants.

Now Renee Foss, a New York NWA flight attendant, closes a June 27 letter to us with the admonishment: “My only fear is that if you don't join me in this commitment to our careers and to our future, we will be forever silenced—and will have no one to blame but ourselves.”

This is simply another AFA fear/blame tactic that fails to address the following very real issues:

AFA staffers forever silenced us when Scott Braxton (then LECP of DTW and current administrator of the Average Joe website) gave away our right to strike in a motion he made at Pat Friend’s request. Once NWA knew this, there was no longer any incentive for them to negotiate improvements to our contract.

Renee herself has failed to show any type of solidarity unless she realizes some benefit from her work. When Northwest flight attendants were protesting against NWA executives during a stockholders meeting at the height of bankruptcy, Renee was handing out flyers for her stage show and inviting NWA executives to attend. Currently, Renee has been taken off the line to work on ‘union business’ and is being paid with our dues money. In addition to almost 100 hours of flight pay per month, Renee can collect up to $45.90 PER DAY to pay for her meals – EVEN WHEN SHE IS WORKING FROM HOME!

The only real ‘work’ that NWA flight attendants have seen from Renee are random hypocritical letters and a periodic insipid IMA and DD hotline that condescends to us.

Renee talks about what she wants in the workplace, but fails to discuss what AFA has accomplished for us.

At the end of the day, Renee’s letter is nothing more than the same diatribe concocted according to the same old AFA recipe and served up on a platter of “what ifs” and hypocrisy, rather than built on a solid foundation of AFA accomplishments. This is just further proof that when it comes to listing AFA achievements there is simply nothing to say.